Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (the Act) governs how federally regulated organizations collect, use, keep, secure and disclose personal information. “Personal Information” is broadly defined as “information about an identifiable individual” excluding “the name, title or business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization.”

The Canadian Institute of Marine Engineering (the CIMarE and the Institute) recognizes the importance of privacy and recognizes the sensitivity of personal information received by it in the course of its work, including its services to CIMarE members.

The CIMarE accepts the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of its members’ information, and recognizes its obligations concerning the personal information of all individuals that we collect, use or disclose in the work of the Institute. In general, the Institute will not disclose personal information to individuals and organizations outside the CIMarE and will carefully protect information available about members and other persons within the Institute. This policy has been developed with such obligations and goals in mind.

The Institute’s need for personal information

In order to be able to serve our members, the CIMarE will occasionally ask for and maintain information about our members and those conducting business with the Institute. This information will necessarily include personal information about our members and about individuals other than our members.

Collection, use and disclosure of personal information

Where practical, the CIMarE endeavours to collect personal information directly from the person to whom the information pertains. When necessary, the CIMarE will collect personal information from other sources.

In becoming a member or in applying to become a member of the CIMarE, an individual consents to the necessary collection, use or disclosure of the individual’s personal information in order to serve such person as a member or potential member of the Institute.

It is CIMarE policy to collect personal information about individuals other than its members in accordance with the provisions of the Act; for example, in the planning and registration of persons for the annual Mari-Tech conference and exhibition.

The Act deems that an individual has consented to the CIMarE collecting, using or disclosing personal information about that individual if, at the time the consent is deemed to be given, the purpose would be considered obvious to a reasonable person. In such circumstances, the CIMarE will collect, use or disclose personal information without obtaining a written or verbal consent to do so.

The Act also permits the CIMarE to collect, use or disclose personal information about an individual in some circumstances without the individual’s consent. Those include (but are not limited to) circumstances in which:

the collection, use or disclosure is clearly in the interests of the individual and consent cannot be obtained in a timely way;

it is reasonable to expect that the collection or use of personal information with the personal information is available to the public from a prescribed source; and

the collection, use or disclosure of personal information is required or authorized by law.

When the CIMarE collects, uses or discloses personal information, it will make reasonable efforts to ensure that it is accurate and complete.

Security of personal information

The CIMarE recognizes its legal obligation to protect the confidential information of our members and those who do business with the Institute. The CIMarE also recognizes its legal obligations to protect the personal information we have gathered about our members and about other individuals in the administration and business of the Institute.

The CIMarE has therefore made arrangements to secure against the unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or destruction of personal information.

Requests for access to personal information

The Act allows individuals to submit written requests to the CIMarE to provide them with:

their personal information under Institute custody or control;

information about how their personal information under Institute control has been and is being used by the CIMarE;

the names of the individuals and organizations to whom their personal information under our control has been disclosed by the CIMarE.

The CIMarE will respond to requests in the time allowed by the Act and will make a reasonable effort to assist applicants and to respond as accurately and completely as reasonably possible.

An individual’s ability to access his or her personal information under Institute control is not absolute. The Act provides that the CIMarE must not disclose personal information when:

the disclosure could reasonably be expected to threaten the safety or physical or mental health of an individual other than the individual who made the request;

the disclosure can reasonably be expected to cause immediate or grave harm to the safety or to the physical or mental health of the individual who made the request;

the disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual;

the disclosure would reveal the identity of an individual who has provided personal information about another individual and the individual providing the personal information does not consent to disclosure of his or her identity.

The Act further provides that the CIMarE is not required to disclose personal information when:

the personal information is protected by solicitor-client privilege; and

the disclosure of the personal information would reveal confidential commercial information that, if disclosed, could, in the opinion of a reasonable person, harm the competitive position of an organization.

Requests for correction of personal information

The law permits individuals to submit written requests to the CIMarE to correct errors or omissions in their personal information that is within the custody or control of the Institute. The CIMarE will:

correct the personal information and, if reasonable to do so, send correction notifications to any other persons or organizations to whom we disclosed the incorrect information; or

decide not to correct the personal information, but annotate the personal information that a correction was requested but not made.

Contacting or communicating with the CIMarE

If you have any questions with respect to the CIMarE’s policies concerning the handling of your personal information, or if you wish to request access to, or correction of, your personal information under our care and control, please contact our Privacy Officer at:

Lauren Solar

National Administrator

CIMarE Headquarters

21010 McCowan Road

Mount Albert ON L0G 1M0

Tel: (289) 221-1318

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your personal information, we invite you to contact our Privacy Officer in writing, setting out the reasons for your concern. If, after our Privacy Officer has reviewed and responded to your concern, you remain dissatisfied, you may wish to contact the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at: